Owl women split, men swept vs. UMF

The Owl basketball teams were able to salvage one victory in four contests against UM-Farmington played Friday and Saturday at Wieden Gymnasium.

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Owl basketball teams were able to salvage one victory in four contests against UM-Farmington played Friday and Saturday at Wieden Gymnasium.

The UMPI women defeated the Beavers in Friday’s game, 46-41, with Marissa Valdivia-Reagle leading the charge with a great all-around game. She posted 10 points, seven rebounds and 12 steals for the victorious Owls.

Reagle, a sophomore from Seattle, Washington, collected 10 of her 12 steals in the first half as UMPI opened up a 25-14 lead.

UMF took advantage of some poor shooting by the Owls in the second half and rallied to take the lead with six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but UMPI freshman Hunter Mercier hit a 3-pointer and Emmy Churchill scored on a conventional 3-point play to allow the Owls to come out on top.

Rhylee Wright posted 11 points and eight rebounds, while Churchill had 10 points and Sarah Musselman eight to lead the Owls. McKenna Brodeur posted 11 points and five rebounds and Paige Carter hauled in 15 rebounds for the Beavers.

Other than that game, the visiting UMF squad controlled the weekend, although the three other contests were all close.

The Beaver men gained the sweep by winning 84-74 Friday and 80-74 Saturday. In the Friday matchup, UMF led by 19 points with 7:45 to play before the Owls came back and got to within seven. They got no closer as the Beavers went 7 for 8 from the foul line over the final two minutes.

DeAndre Duncombe and Shyquinn Dix both scored 22 points and combined for 10 3-pointers, with Duncombe hitting six and Dix four. Dix also hauled in eight rebounds.

Riley Robinson and Milani Hicks both tallied 21 points for the Beavers.

On Saturday, once again UMF took a big lead in the second half, only to see UMPI rally again and fall just short. The Beavers were ahead 63-46 with 11:28 to go. UMPI was down by two points with 43 seconds left, thanks to a Will Griffiths foul line jumper, and had the ball with a chance to tie or go ahead, but could not convert. UMF hit all four of its free throw attempts in the final 19 seconds to survive.

Amir Moss had 19 points and Bill Ruby added 17 for the Beavers, who improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in North Atlantic Conference play.

Griffin Guerrette, a freshman from Presque Isle, came off the bench in both games and had nine points and four rebounds Friday, but was held to two points Saturday.

The UMPI women lost Saturday’s game by a score of 63-61 with Molly Folsom scoring on a reverse layup as time expired to give UMF the win and a weekend split.

The Owls led by 15 points at intermission, but a 23-6 run by UMF in the third quarter led to a back-and-forth final period. UMPI’s Kendra Silvers scored off a Reagle assist with 7.8 seconds left to tie the game before Folsom’s heroics.

Wright scored 25 points and added 10 rebounds and Mercier netted four 3-pointers en route to a 14-point total for the Owls, now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in NAC play. Reagle was also in double figures with 11 points and she added seven rebounds and four assists.

UMF was led by Folsom’s 16 points. The Beavers won for the first time this season after opening with five consecutive losses.

The UMPI men, who play Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire, Tuesday, will be back home Saturday to take on Unity College at 1 p.m. The women’s game between the Owls and Rams will follow at 3 p.m.

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